Like I Love You
by Lauren Eliza
Summary: One phone call. One girl. One boy. Two hearts and lives in need of repair. What will it take to make them whole again? And what will stand in their way? Alternate S6, BRUCAS.
1. Lonely People

Like I Love You

**A/N: I've never written a BL fic before, because I ship LP. That being said, I appreciated and enjoyed all of the BL scenes in S5 and they served as my inspiration for this story. It starts during the S5 finale and goes on in an alternate S6. The fic is named after an Amy Grant song which I feel suits their relationship very well. Please read and review!**

Lucas sat in the Tree Hill airport, his cell phone open loosely in his hand, fingers hovering over the contact list. In his other hand, he held two tickets for Las Vegas. Vegas. The place where dreams came true, some said. Others said it was where their dreams died. Lucas wasn't sure that he had many dreams left to lose except for this one. Always the same dream, growing increasingly more frequent now that Lindsey was permanently out of his life. It was vague and cloudy, but he knew what it meant nonetheless. It meant that he had to make this call. His dreams would either die or be realized with this one simple phone call, and he just needed to know which one it would be.

"Hello?" a female voice asked.

"Hi, it's me," Lucas said hesitantly.

"Luke? What's going on?" she asked.

"I'm at the airport. I've got two tickets to Vegas," he said. "Do you want to come with me?"

He waited in the same chair. She hadn't really given him an answer. His flight was leaving in less than an hour, but he wasn't sure if he could get on it alone. He needed to do this with her. It would only feel right if she was there with him.

Suddenly he looked up and there she was. Her hair was messy, her eyes were red as though she had been crying, and she had only one small suitcase with her. She had never looked more beautiful to him.

"Hi," he said. "I wasn't sure if you would come."

"I didn't have any reason not to, really," she said with a small smile.

"I'm glad you did," he said quietly, as he reached out to take her bag and join the line to board the plane.

"So am I," she replied.

Once the plane had taken off, she immediately went to sleep in her seat, curled up against the window and away from him. He wanted nothing more than to pull her towards him and let her head rest on his chest as she slept, but he didn't want to frighten her away. She was just as damaged as he was, and while he hoped that he could heal her, and heal himself in the process, he knew it would take time.

"I'm going to save you, Pretty Girl," he whispered, knowing that she couldn't hear him. "Just like I promised. I'm going to save you from all of it, Brooke Davis, and I hope you can save me too."


	2. Love Will Save The Day

**A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, please keep them coming! In case things weren't clear, everything from S1-S5 did happen. Enjoy!**

Chapter Two: Love Will Save The Day

As the plane began its descent, Lucas reached over and gently shook Brooke awake. She sighed sleepily and shifted in her seat, then turned towards him and opened her eyes. Lucas felt his memories pulling at him: how many other times had he watched this girl wake up beside him? How many times would he be lucky enough to watch it happen again?

"Hi," Brooke said. "Are we there yet?"

'Yeah, we're just starting to land," Lucas replied.

Brooke sat up and peered out the window, a smile beginning to grow on her face.

"I've always wanted to go to Vegas," she said.

"I never thought about it before tonight," Lucas admitted. "I just wanted to get away for awhile and it seemed like the right place to do it."

"Why did you invite me?" Brooke asked curiously.

"I wanted to have someone with me," Lucas said cautiously. "And I figured you could use a vacation, some time away from the quiet house, and I guess I just thought it would be good for both of us."

"I'm glad you did," Brooke smiled. "I'm happy to be here with you."

"_It's good being here, especially with you."_

Why was it that almost everything Brooke said was reminding him of their happy days so many years ago? It had been so long, but being around her like this, he remembered everything. It was driving him crazy, having to hold all of these memories inside without sharing them with her, but he still knew that she needed time. This weekend could be good for them, and he was determined not to mess it up by bringing up their past.

The airport was a buzz of activity. Lucas and Brooke claimed their bags, then made their way towards the exit, passing a number of excited tourists on the way. There were young couples of all sorts, looking like they were ready to take advantage of drive-through wedding chapels. Families with children admiring the bright colours and loud noises. Singles with pale bands of skin on their ring fingers. Groups of friends, groups of business people, and many other collectives of humanity.

Brooke was somewhat overwhelmed. Even when on the plane, Las Vegas had seemed like a good idea. She thought she could lose her sadness among the lights and the glitter and the never-ending spectacle. But now that she was here, it seemed all wrong. It seemed fake, showy, and ostentatious. A place where people came to hide their sorrows rather than to heal from them. And she realized that that method of coping simply wouldn't be enough this time. She needed to recover properly, and this simply wasn't the place to do it. She turned to Lucas, who was surveying the airport with a perplexed look on his face. She could still read him well, and she knew that he was having the same thoughts as her.

"Hey, Luke," she said, gently tapping him on the arm. "This doesn't feel right."

"Not right at all," he said. "Coming here was a mistake."

"But leaving Tree Hill wasn't," Brooke said quickly, afraid that she might lose her chance to spend some time alone with him, away from the pressures of their hometown.

"Exactly," Lucas smiled. "Shall we?" he asked, gesturing towards the departures board a few feet away. They walked over and stood in silence for a few minutes, examining the list of options above them.

"Too many people in New York, and I'm tired of it," Brooke mused.

"This might sound crazy," Lucas said, "but do you have your passport?"

"Let me check," Brooke asked, rummaging through her purse. "Yeah, I do. Why? Where were you thinking?"

"There's a flight leaving for Montreal in forty-five minutes. I've never been to Canada, and I hear that's the place to be," Lucas said. "What do you think?"

"They've got great fashion sense, apparently," Brooke said, clearly debating the issue in her mind. "But I don't speak French. And neither do you, really."

"Apparently that's not a problem in the downtown areas," Lucas replied, waving a travel brochure in front of Brooke's face.

"Well, you clearly want to go," she said, amused, "so let's do it."

"Really?" Lucas asked excitedly.

"Really," she said. She would do anything he asked if it was going to make him happy. He obviously didn't know that, but it was the truth. Anything in her power. That was why she had pushed him and Peyton back towards each other in the past few months, because she was convinced that that was what was best for them. And, to be truthful, she hadn't minded at the time. Her love for Lucas had been almost extinguished. But when Lindsey had left him at the altar and he had started spending time with her and Angie, Brooke had found her feelings rushing back to her almost at once. It was what she had always wanted: a family.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everybody: I'm sorry to announce that this story is done. I really thought I could do it and wanted to challenge myself by writing for the opposite ship, and I had so many ideas, but when it came down to it, I just can't flesh them out properly and I won't disgrace my writing or disappoint you guys with crap. So thanks for reading nonetheless, and if you are BL fans and enjoyed my work, I would recommend checking out my other story, "In A World Called Catastrophe". It's a JP-BL romantic comedy, and much easier for me to write than this was, and therefore will get the ending you probably all want.

As a final gift, I'd like to leave you with the lyrics to the song that inspired this fic, "Like I Love You" by Amy Grant. It's a beautiful song and really suits Brucas. Many apologies once again.

Why do lovers drift apart  
And how does love fade away  
When do pieces of a broken heart mend again  
You've been crying in the dark  
And you've been feeling alone  
Don't be scared of what you'll find  
When you turn the light on

Ain't nobody gonna say goodbye  
No, ain't nobody gonna walk away  
This time, baby, I'm learning how to love you, love you  
Ain't nobody gonna make you cry  
No, ain't nobody ever really tried to love you  
Like I love you

What sad memory of yesterday  
what terrible scar  
Keeps you gathering pieces of  
Your shattered heart  
There was once upon a time  
When hope was living within  
I know there will come a time  
When you can believe again

How long have you been feeling lonely  
How long have you been feeling sad and blue

This time, baby, I'm learning how to love you, love you  
Ain't nobody gonna make you cry  
No, ain't nobody ever really tried to love you  
Like I love you


End file.
